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Phone Reassurance for Elderly Project (PREP)

About the project

CU CHAMPION is launching a brand new service project - “Phone Reassurance for Elderly Project” (PREP) with seniors from a community centre as our target group. We will provide health assistance via one-to-one telephone contact, particularly mental health support, in the hope of relieving their anxiety and unease caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In order to reduce the risk brought by face to face gatherings, our project is solely conducted via telephone. Our student volunteers will make phone calls to conduct interviews with the elderly. Both the physical and mental health of the seniors will be the subjects of our telephone contact. Our student helpers will also clarify the health misinformation circulating among the community during the phone call.

Topics covered under the project:

Updates on the COVID-19 pandemic

Medication safety

Health Care Voucher Scheme and primary care for the elderly

Clarify Health misinformation

Number of participants:

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25 CUHK Volunteers

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25 Elders

Project Period:

September  - October 2020

Pilot Service Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic has made a tremendous impact globally and Hong Kong is no exception. Citizens were stressed by the unprecedented virus and anxious as misinformation were circulating drastically through different channels in the beginning of the outbreak. It was observed that the elders were especially susceptible to such misinformation as many did not receive igher education. CU CHAMPION, an interprofessional service team at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, had tried to conduct health outreach services and distribute sanitizing supplies to the elders but in vain, due to the persistent threat of the virus and social distancing policies. Nevertheless, the team planned and carried out an one-on-one phone reassurance pilot project to reach out 25 elderly members of a community centre in October. 

The pilot project aimed at increasing the health awareness and social wellbeing of elders while minimizing the risk of cross infection. In order to facilitate interprofessional and mutual learning, students of different health and nutrition disciplines were put into different Whatsapp groups for discussing the issues they encounter during the project and to seek each other’s input for solving the elders’ problems.

Students conducted regular phone calls to chat, provide health knowledge, and assess the needs and difficulties of the elders. Items of assessment include the knowledge of COVID-19, medication safety, health polices and services for elderly, and awareness of misinformation. All participants reflected that the service was a meaningful and precious experience to better understand their
counterpart.

 

In 2021, CU CHAMPION will expand the scale of this project, please click here for more details.

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